Some of the Bey family members Yusuf ...

Contra-Costa Times/December 1, 2005

Yusuf Bey, founder and chief executive of Your Black Muslim Bakery, a chain of East Bay bakeries specializing in bean pies and other items using natural ingredients. A leading Black Muslim figure in the East Bay, Bey flirted with local politics and ran for mayor of Oakland in 1994.

Though he claimed inspiration from Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad, Bey's "family" of blood relatives and business associates was actually a distinct Muslim group that was not affiliated with the Nation.

Widely respected for providing opportunities for ex-convicts and others on society's fringes, Bey was embroiled in controversy when he died of colon cancer in October 2003 at age 67. He faced sexual-abuse charges stemming from his relationship with a woman who was 13 when she came into contact with him while working at the bakery. Alameda County prosecutors also alleged he raped three other young girls between 1976 and 1995, though charges were dropped after a California law allowing charges in decades-old sex-abuse cases was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Antar Bey, 23, heir apparent to his father's business empire. Shot to death Oct. 25 while filling his car at a service station in North Oakland. Police suspect the shooting was an attempted carjacking, although infighting within the Bey organization was a motive that also was being examined by police. A 20-year-old Oakland man, Alfonza Phillips, is charged with murder in the shooting.

John Bey, 41, adopted son of Yusuf Bey and the senior manager of a security firm that is one of the Bey family's businesses. Shot and seriously wounded outside his home June 17 in Oakland's Montclair district. Bey was able to run from his attackers and seek help from neighbors. He told police he did not know anyone who would want to harm him. No arrests have been made.

Waajid Aljawwaad Bey, 51, an associate picked by Yusuf Bey to run the bakery chain. Disappeared in February 2004. His body was found five months later in the Oakland hills. Investigators said it appeared he had been killed somewhere else and buried in a shallow grave.

Akbar Bey, 21-year-old son of Yusuf Bey. Shot to death following an argument outside a North Oakland nightclub in September 1994.